Jason, I read that you wrote the role with George Clooney in mind. Is that true?

Jason: Yeah, I wrote the role with him in mind and with Vera and Anna in mind as well. It’s easier for me to write when I know who I’m actually writing for. That’s often how I identify the voice of the character. I had met Vera before and I’d seen many of her films. I knew the things that she was able to do that no other actresses is capable of doing. It was because she was able to walk that very fine line of being aggressive and feminine at the same time that I was able to write balance for what I did. It was because I saw Anna in “Rocket Science” and knew the sparkle and brilliance of her mind and how fast she is that I was able to write Natalie the way I did. If you’re going to make a movie about a guy who fires people for a living and you still want to like him, that actor better be dam charming and I don’t think there’s a more charming actor alive than George Clooney. I was very lucky he said yes.

Anna, what in particular appealed to you about your character?

Anna Kendrick: First it’s that sort of rare thing. This girl who is so intelligent and complicated and her character does not revolve around a romantic story line. That was enough to make it fascinating in itself because it just doesn’t happen, you don’t read scripts like that. I was normally so timid in real life that I’m really excited my character is someone who gets to tell people off and I’m telling off George Clooney, which is pretty awesome.

Anna, how did you feel when you got this role?

Anna: I was shocked beyond belief because I thought Jason hated me. My audition was very plain and I think Jason was trying to suck me out by showing any kind of enthusiasm, but I thought he hated me. When I got the job I was so shocked and I thought he we just like that, he’s just going to be a time rack on set. But he’s very, very nice. I was surprised. I was thrilled beyond words. the script is so beautiful. And I didn’t think that George was doing it, for whatever reason I just assumed it was just too good to be true for a script to be this good and to be working with George Clooney, I just thought it was one of those things were it was rumored. And then Jason told me the Italy story and I got really excited. That was one of the funnest parts, seeing him, eating lunch with him, trying to act like, “Oh right, of course, you knew me,” because I’d do that kind of thing. {LFF: Up in the Air Press Conference – Reitman, Farminga, Kendrick}

I’ve also added higher quality Candids of Anna exchanging currency at the Vancouver airport this morning.

After a whirlwind Up in the Air promotion in London, Anna is back to filming. She traveled to the Eclipse set in Vancouver, where she will film the graduation scenes at Forks High. She looked absolutely adorable toting her suitcase in braids and a newsboy cap:

Edit: Updated with HQ and untagged

Lainey blogs about the new precautions taken for the Eclipse set

Anna is in town to work on the graduation party which will shoot at the Cullen House. Interesting note for the fans, and a freebie here for the jockriding old tour lady who doesn’t know how to credit, during New Moon the Cullen House interiors were filmed at a local residence. This time around, for whatever reason, they decided to build the sets in studio instead. Not cheap but at least it keeps the actors away from the riffraff and the stalkers, the Twi-Hards local and international who seem to have all the time in the world to be at every location every day, waiting for hours outside the hotels, eager to pounce on their favourites. {Anna Kendrick comes back to Party}

Lainey blogged about Anna in London. Thanks Danielle for the tip! Look at all this media frenzy lately — Is Anna the new Rob?

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“The most important thing to me, and the most impressive thing to me, is when, whether it’s the writer, director, actor… they put something across on-screen that makes me think ‘I wish I were brave enough to say that.’ I think that’s the only reason to create anything. To stand up and say ‘I’m this way, I don’t know if anybody else is, but I feel like I need to communicate that.’ And that is something that I think is the most noble and courageous thing to do with art – to say ‘Maybe you should forgive yourself for whatever it is that you’re embarrassed about.’”